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The Finer Points of Street Grammar

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Deeper_Background, Apr 10, 2007.

  1. Deeper_Background

    Deeper_Background Active Member

    Just to give our readers a look at how fastidiously accurate we are at the MRC, we've been having a bit of an in-house debate about the proper spelling for the nominative plural for "ho," as in the street slang for whore. Yes, news is stranger than fiction, and we only have Don Imus's "nappy-headed hos (?)" remark to blame for this journalistic quandary.

    My colleague Matt Balan and I have combed the Web to see how different news orgs handle it and he's found no consensus:

    UPI uses "ho's": "Imus last week described Rutgers University's women's basketball team as 'nappy-headed ho's.' Imus also apologized for the comment during his talk show."
    Associated Press uses "hos": "Radio host Don Imus, suspended for two weeks for calling the Rutgers female basketball players 'nappy-headed hos,' called the punishment appropriate Tuesday but stressed, 'I am not a racist.'
    LA Times uses "hoes": "Radio provocateur Don Imus apologized Friday for referring to the Rutgers women's basketball team as 'some nappy-headed hoes' on a broadcast of his syndicated radio show 'Imus in the Morning,' which also airs live on MSNBC."
    Gregory Moore at BlackAthlete.net also uses "hoes."
    We at NewsBusters typically follow Associated Press Style and since the AP wire is going with "hos," that probably will be the default for any future posts, for what that's worth.


    Ken Shepherd http://newsbusters.org/node/11941
     
  2. Shaggy

    Shaggy Guest

    I always thought it was "hoes" too, but I defer to AP on this.
     
  3. FishHack76

    FishHack76 Active Member

    I think it would be ho's because it's short for whores, I believe. I guess it technically could be 'ho's, but that looks awfully weird with the apostrophe in front.
     
  4. novelist_wannabe

    novelist_wannabe Well-Known Member

    If we must delve into this at all, "Hoes" is too easily confused with a garden implement. "Ho's" is singular possessive. "Hos" would be the correct reference, I would think, as the plural for "ho."

    BTW, Santa is mortified by all this.
     
  5. joe

    joe Active Member

    Hoes: Garden implements.
     
  6. Shaggy

    Shaggy Guest

    Why the apostrophe. Nappy-headed hos needs no apostrophe.
     
  7. [​IMG]

    The Media Research Center breaks for lunch.
     
  8. imjustagirl2

    imjustagirl2 New Member

    I now, when I log on, immediately go to Fenian's profile and do 'see most recent posts' just to see the pictures he's posted.
     
  9. This time it's a bright red X.
     
  10. imjustagirl2

    imjustagirl2 New Member

    Not on mine, Mike. Mine makes me laugh.
     
  11. Mystery_Meat

    Mystery_Meat Guest

    Wait, what's the style for Ho-Hos? That's your precedent.
     
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